A determination of history, and value along with supporting documentation will be confronted with your comprehensive inquire of information, [5] photographic illustration, including a transparent image of a silversmith's symbol, logo, or trademark distinguishing the piece as follows: Renderings depict a single Racine Silver Plate Company {1875-1882} raised serving dish with intricate detail of floral design, wildlife and nature scenery, condition as re-silvered & lacquered to original triple plate, marked 1880 probably a process date and not a pattern number, center piece or sometimes referred to an Epergne, or a Strawberry basket, 10-1/4" x 5-1/4" D. base; 14" high w/ the handle up and 8" high w/ the handle down, Victorian epic circa 1880.

The Racine Silver Plate Company, manufacturers of gold and silver plated ware, Britannia ware, cutlery, ect., was incorporated May 8, 1875, Their goods are now classed with those of Rogers & Co., and other well known Eastern manufacturers, and are sold in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan. History of Racine and Kenosha (1879)

A fire of May 5, 1882, destroyed seven square blocks of Downtown Racine. Attempts were made to move Racine Silver Plates’ materials to a safe uptown location, but the fire spread too rapidly. In the end, all that remained of the business was a few walls, smokestack and piles of melted silver. The City of Rockford, Ill. wooed its owners to rebuild there and the name was changed to Rockford Silver Plate Company 1882.

The Rockford Silver Plate Company operated from 1882 was founded in 1873 as the Racine Silver Plate Company Racine, Wisconsin, made silver wares for the United States Jewelers Guild (also ki Jewelers’ Crown Guild). During this time, these silverplate pieces were sold only through select jewelry stores. Around 1925 the Rockford Silver Company was purchased by Raymond Sheets and renamed the Rockford Silver Plate Company. The flatware division was discontinued, however the silverplate hollow ware division continued. Later, the company operating as a re-silvering plant. S.L. & G. H. Rogers purchase inventory stock and the original records of the Rockford Silver Plate Company and the Sheet-Rockford Silver Plate Company were destroyed The company of Sheets-Rockford Silver Plate Company continued to appear in the City Directories until 1956.

Victorian Silver; The era is refereed to a stretch of time rather than a particular style. This episode falls between 1837 through 1901, and is marked by a variety of inspiration, enthused by the use of different styles to suggest different moods. In the first half of the period the changes from the original to the Victorian interpretation were probably greater. After 1880 there was a more faithful adherence to the lines of the models, although the results always differed from the original.

There was more silverware made in the 19th Century than ever before or after, the middle classes had a new found wealth and the British Empire was at its height. The Industrial revolution was transforming the old craft trades and innovations by plate manufacturers meant great competition for the traditional silversmiths who were still making by hand. The 18th century passion for antiquarianism continued into the early Victorian era, stimulating a revival of several historic styles that all flourished simultaneously. Naturalism was added to the rococo, gothic, neoclassical etc. styles that were popular and could be seen in abundance at the Great Exhibitions. Towards the end of the century there came about the Arts and Crafts movement as a reaction against the stylized and mass produced articles now typical of the period.

Silver Hallmarks This mark is an indication of a special symbol of a particular person or factory placed on the back or bottom of an object during the manufacturing process, and are commonly used to identify antiquities. Collectors and dealers usually look at the mark on a piece immediately, even though the eye may have told them what type the piece is or who the decorator was. Worn, badly erased or eradicated hallmarks, are some times referred to "phantom" are a definite fault. Old silver, to be worth its true value, must be in good condition and a worn mark besides being an indication of a worn piece makes exact identification impossible

Silver Content; Triple Plate Antique Sterling Silver is not mere merchandise, while it is utilitarian; it is also an embodiment of art! The elasticity of 100% pure or 99% fine silver is one of its characteristics, and anything made from it would withstand very little handling. It is only excelled by gold as a malleable metal. It can be appreciated; therefore, that articles made from it would prove impracticably brief lived in use. To give it intensity, and yet preserve its distinctive and agreeable appearance, it has been invariably alloyed with an additional metal: copper. The amount of the latter employed is of great concern, because it is of a very low monetary value in comparison with the silver. In what is commonly marked, or called Sterling Silver is an alloy of fine (silver-92%, copper-7.0%, and 1 %?) American Coin Silver, also called pure, dollar, standard, or premium coin is about (90% silver, + 10% a mixture of copper, EPNS would be Electrical Plated Nickel Silver over what ever base metal i.e. brass, aluminum, was developed in the middle of the last century.

Within the silver-manufacturing industry, "Standard" silver plate used just 2 troy ounces of pure silver to electroplate 144 pieces, Triple Plate used 6 troy ounces, however "Quadruple" plate used 8 troy ounces of silver to plate the same 144 pieces. In other words, it took quadruple or four times the amount of silver to create "Quadruple" plated silver than it did to make the less heavily coated "Standard" plate.

Restoration; One of the beauties of silver is its rewarding response to care; the shine of a well tended example indicating the energy expended on it. The surface of the metal is subject to tarnishing caused by the presence of sulphur in the atmosphere or in nearby paint, fabric and other materials. Sulphur combines with silver to form a film of silver suiphide that dims the shine and eventually blackens the article. In the past, owners sometimes returned their pieces to a silversmith for refurbishing and overhaul; entries in accounts make mention of the practice. The 21st. century owner of old silver has available several reliable ways of keeping his possessions in good condition. The paramount condition in employing any of them is to minimize abrasion. All cleaning of silver must involve the removal of some of the actual metal. In the past some articles were engraved under the base with their weight, the so-called scratch weight, and reweighing today invariably reveals a lower figure. It has been stated that a couple of centuries of regular polishing results in the removal from an article of an amount between 5 and 10 dwt.

Note listing on an auction site like www.ebay.com one would expect about a 50% reduction in the value stated, which may be a good figure for a galiery, stuido, or a Geneva Il. antique shop many up and down the Fox River.